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Ex-Mexican Official Says Labor Reforms Linked To TPP Are Foundering

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has run out of the political capital he needs to push labor reforms through his nation's legislature, according to former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, citing reforms that the U.S. Department of Labor called for earlier this year to ensure compliance with labor provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Castaneda, speaking at a Sept. 21 Hudson Institute event focused on relations between the U.S., Mexico and Latin America, said he believes the Obama administration missed an opportunity to do more to promote labor and human rights in Latin America through TPP, especially by not requiring Mexico to have a labor action plan or side letter.

With labor reform legislation proposed by Pena Nieto's administration earlier this year unlikely to move, and Mexico's adamant stance that labor and human rights are not linked to trade deals, Castaneda said, the best option to address reforms could be a scenario in which Democrat Hillary Clinton is elected president, softens her stance against TPP and demands to renegotiate human and labor rights with countries like Mexico and Peru.